This invention relates generally to exercising equipment, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for cardiovascular exercising.
At least some known forms of exercising facilitates improving a person's overall health. Jumping rope, for example, can facilitate improving a person's cardiovascular fitness, muscular endurance, and mental alertness. However, because of the coordination and concentration necessary to jump rope, it may be difficult for some people to jump rope continuously long enough to achieve such health benefits without tripping and/or having to stop and start jumping again. Accordingly, despite the numerous health benefits that may be afforded, many people find jumping rope too challenging and as such, may pursue other types of exercise.
To facilitate reducing an amount of coordination required to jump rope while still achieving the benefits of jumping rope, at least some jump rope equipment uses segmented or multi-piece ropes to facilitate preventing inadvertent contact between the rope and the person's head and feet. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,524,246 describes an apparatus which includes elastic bands fixedly secured to handles. However, such bands do not effectively simulate the non-elastic properties of a jump rope and/or the rotation of the rope within the handle, and as such, may adversely limit the benefits afforded to an exerciser using the equipment. For example, such equipment may not assist the exerciser in improving their overall coordination.